Tangible
by twilightdazzle
Summary: Sometimes, she feels like she's invisible and they can't see her. Like she wasn't real. And they finally realize she's there just when they're about to lose her.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Yay! First fic! So, yup, just read and tell me what you think.**

She couldn't stop thinking about home, about the past, about the nonexistent future, but mostly she couldn't stop thinking about them. Her boys.

Every stab and punch made stars erupt in her eyelids and small tears gather in the corner of her eyes, but their faces continuously floated in her mind. When she should have been planning her next attack, she was wondering how much they would miss her and if they would miss her at all.

Would they even notice?

No, of course they wouldn't. She was being a foolish girl again and letting hopes and wants obstruct her view of reality.

A painful slash at her side made her bite her lip to keep from crying out and stumble, nearly slipping and falling on the muddy earth. Pink bangs dampened by the heavy downpour of rain fell forward into viridian eyes, and the Konoha nin's chest heaved with exertion.

So this was it. This was the end. She'd heard stories of how bittersweet it would seem from others who had escaped death by just a hair. But the bitter outweighed the sweet by a vast amount.

Sakura Haruno would not have her happy ending.

_~~~Five Days Earlier~~~_

Recognition was all she wanted, all she needed. But the last time her ears had been graced with the simple words of gratitude had been nearly four and a half months ago.

It had been a patient of hers, a charming young girl with lovely brown eyes and curly blonde hair, who had recognized and acknowledged her actions. She had been treating the young girl for nearly six months from a fatal illness that several other medics could find no cure for, but Sakura was determined.

As soon as she saw the dimpled smile of the child, a jolt in her heart had occurred and filled her with a mindset to make sure that smile wouldn't fade. The girl had already been deathly pale and too thin when she and her mother walked into Sakura's office, and the rosette set to work immediately.

Restless nights and stressful days followed, and after six months of hell Sakura had done it. She'd terminated the illness.

With wobbly legs and a quivering body, the weakened girl dragged herself from the bed and hobbled to Sakura. Wrapping her arms around the medic's waist and burying her face in her stomach, the girl spoke in a firm and bell like voice, "Thank you, Haruno-san. I've never had a friend like you."

Those words were enough to make Sakura's eyes water and imprint into her heart forever. If only she could be seen by the people that mattered most.

The sky was dimmed by thick gray clouds, and the air was cool and smelled of rain. Sakura inhaled the scent deeply as she exited the hospital, her white coat undone and flapping gently in the soft breeze. Wisps of pink hair fell loose from the bun at the base of her neck and hung limply at the sides of her face.

Nineteen years old and already a renowned medic nin, Sakura was doing well on her own, but she wasn't happy. In fact, she was plain miserable. Her girl friends were wonderful, but they had their own lives to build. Her job was fantastic, but even throwing herself into work couldn't block the pain.

They were her pain.

Her boys, whom she'd loved and cherished and took responsibility for, were driving her life into an abyss of neglect and sadness. Naruto and Sasuke were doing great as some of Konoha's top and most powerful ANBU. For the first couple of months after Sasuke's return, the two boys downright refused to even be in the same room as one another, and Sakura worked herself to the bone trying to get them reacquainted. And after being thrust together on several occasions, it finally paid off.

Their brotherly bond was reconstructed, and they were closer than ever before. Kakashi didn't adopt another team as Sakura thought he would. Instead, he began to accept regular missions and trained constantly with Naruto and Sasuke. It was like Team 7 had never been broken, but it had.

Sakura was all but pushed out of the group. With her hospital duties it was understandable, but now it was everything. They didn't invite her to train with them. They didn't notice her presence when she invited them to her house for dinner. They didn't see her. They didn't hear her. And they never once uttered a thank you when she healed them or spent hours in the kitchen cooking them their favorite meals.

She was intangible. Not real. Not there. Not worthy.

She ached for their love. It tore her to pieces to have these people she would easily die for toss her aside and not devote a single glance in her direction. Ino understood the best. She knew of her friend's heartache and troubles even if she didn't voice them, and she couldn't miss the fact that it was destroying Sakura from the inside out.

"Ha!" came a sudden cry from the training grounds.

Sakura paused and watched from the safety of a large tree as Sasuke and Naruto competitively fought eachother. Kakashi, like usual, was sitting beneath the shade of a tall tree with his orange book propped open.

Sakura eyed the Uchiha with a sad glimmer in her eye. He was so beautiful. Muscles rippled beneath the fabric of his plain black shirt, and the smirk pulling back his lips made his perfectly defined face look dark and sexy. Her heart stretched out toward him, ached for him, begged for him, burned for him. Only a foolish girl would be in love with a man that would never return her feelings.

Sakura Haruno had always been a foolish girl.

The smile that graced her pretty face was a sad one as she watched Naruto do a ridiculous looking victory dance after knocking Sasuke to the ground. The dark haired male on the ground glared at the eccentric blonde above him, and with one swift kick knocked him to the ground as well before standing with another smirk on his finely chiseled face.

Kakashi glanced up from his book and shook his head gently at their idiocy, but Sakura could see the small smile playing behind his mask. A pang of desertion struck her in the gut again, and she sighed resignedly before turning to resume her walk back home. She still had to make dinner for them tonight.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"And then the girl jumped off the bar, took off her underwear, and gave them to Teme," Naruto said and then released a loud bellow of laughter, and Kakashi chuckled softly from beneath his mask.

Sasuke scowled at the memory of the previous night's events at a local bar, leaning back in his chair and moodily crossing his arms over his chest. Sakura smiled faintly, the expression slipping back into one of soft sadness in a matter of seconds.

"Man, you should have been there, Sakura," Naruto continued, clutching his stomach as another fit of laughter overtook him.

'_I could have if someone invited me,'_ she thought bitterly, fiddling with her hands beneath the table and staring blankly at her food. The wounds around her heart became a little deeper.

After Naruto's laughter had died down, he finished up his third plate and plopped down on the couch and clicked on the T.V. Kakashi was too engaged in his book to move from the kitchen table, and Sasuke also remained put.

His ebony eyes slid to the right, and he eyed Sakura discreetly. Her face was weary and drawn into a sad expression, and she was oddly pale. And had she gotten thinner? The food on her plate hadn't even been touched. She looked so worn down and fragile. His eyes narrowed slightly, and an odd feeling stirred in his stomach. Shaking himself mentally, he tore his eyes away from the girl and joined Naruto on the couch.

A sudden knock at the door sounded, and Sakura gracefully stood and pulled it open to reveal a weary and slightly annoyed looking ANBU.

"Haruno-san," he said in a deep, throaty voice. "Tsunade-sama requests your presence at her office."

"Right now?" Sakura asked despondently.

A curt nod was her answer.

"Very well," she said with a sigh, and the ANBU retreated.

She threw a glance over her shoulder. "I'll be back," she called.

Nobody answered.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The off white walls of the hall that led to the Hokage's office were darkened by the shadows of the night, and Sakura didn't even bother to knock on the large wooden door to the office. She was in here so often that it was practically her office as well.

Surprisingly, Shikamaru and Kiba were in there too, and they both looked over their shoulder when she entered. Tsunade's intense hazel eyes locked onto her apprentice as she moved to stand next to Shikamaru, and the beautiful woman remained silent for a second.

Leaning forward in her large leather chair, she eyed the three shinobi before her, pausing for a long, agonizing moment on the girl who had been an equivalent to a daughter to her. The Hokage was neither blind nor stupid. She noticed the young woman's stresses and pains, and it was beginning to affect her physically, and she had made several attempts to help the girl. What Sakura was going through, however, couldn't be cured with vacations and easy missions.

And what she had to do now was heart wrenching. Being the Hokage wasn't an easy task.

"I'm sure you have all guessed that you're in here for the same reason," she finally spoke. "Since you are all familiar with eachother, I'm sure there will be no problem with being teammates."

The three of them shook their heads.

"Very well then," she continued. "We have recently set into action a plan to eliminate each Akatsuki member one by one. We go about this in two steps. Send a team to track and then send a team to assassinate. Two weeks ago, I sent a team of specialized tracking ANBU to track down the whereabouts and route of Kisame Hoshigaki. They have just returned with the specifics, and you're jobs are to eliminate the target."

Sakura's blood ran cold. Kisame was known as one of the most deadly and vicious Akatsuki members currently alive. A small shudder racked her spine, and she withheld it as best she could.

Kiba grinned. "Doesn't sound too hard. Take a trip, kick some ass, and come home."

Tsunade's expression remained cold, and unbeknownst to the teens before her, her throat was constricting painfully. Sakura, having been her apprentice for several years, noticed the strangely depressed aura the older woman was emitting, and pale pink brows drew together.

"There's more," the young Haruno said, not as a question but as a statement.

Tsunade nodded, and Shikamaru and Sakura exchanged curious glances with eachother.

"Kisame alone will be a challenge for you, a very difficult and possibly fatal fight," Tsunade began, taking a deep breath before continuing. "He's traveling with a group of Akatsuki underling, all a possible threat. Your orders are to execute as many as possible. The survival rate is.…there almost isn't one."

Sakura was sure the sky had just come crashing down on her head and the walls were closing in around her, pushing and constricting her form. Beside her, Shikamaru had snapped into a tense posture, and Kiba hissed in a breath.

Green eyes widened, staring in horror and shock at the Hokage, and her chest was rising and falling rapidly with sharp breaths.

They could die.

They might die.

They would die.

It was so surreal, being told that you were going to die, being told that there was no future for you. Sakura felt tears burn her eyes as a million different things ran through her mind.

No more friends. No more shopping sprees and movie nights with the girls. No more happy faces when she healed a kid's broken arm. No more delightfully cold snowflakes on her arms. No cool night air would ever blow through her hair again, and the sun would never kiss her face so gently again.

Who would take care of Naruto, Sasuke, and Kakashi once she was gone? Who would make them dinner? Who would sacrifice their afternoon to doing their laundry?

More than anything, Sakura wanted to not die. She hadn't done all those things she'd sworn she'd do, and she definitely wasn't ready to vanish. Mostly because a part of her knew that her boys would move on without any trouble or pains, and she wasn't done trying to prove her worth to them.

Tsunade's voice held a slight tremor in it as she broke through the thick and painful silence. "Do you accept this mission?"

Tight lipped and stiffly, both the male shinobi nodded and cast their eyes downward, desperately trying to hide the tears that gleamed in their eyes. Tsunade's eyes turned to the silent kunoichi, a part of her silently begging the girl to refuse and remain as her wonderful, reliant apprentice for as long as possible.

"Sakura?"

Said girl didn't lift her eyes from the carpeted floor, and her shoulders sagged down.

Her lip wobbled.

"I accept."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The sun was just breaking over the horizon when Sakura closed the door to her apartment with a finality that made her stomach sick. Thick gray clouds were still covering the sky, and the sun altered their color to a dark red and grey mixture that made the whole sky seem menacing and fearsome.

Vendors were setting up their fruit stands with a tired, yet equally light hearted nature that made Sakura's heart clench and her breathing stutter. The sweet aroma of fresh bread and cinnamon wafted out from the doors of a bakery, and she inhaled deeply, hoping to forever imprint it in her memory. Wind chimes sung in the doorway of a quaint home, and the kunoichi was stung by a bought of desire for the thick mattress of her bed and warmth of her comforter.

Kiba and Shikamaru were waiting tersely at the gates with grave expressions upon their faces, and Sakura felt sorrow overwhelm her senses at the realization that her friends would die beside her.

Nobody but Ino currently knew of her situation, and they had spent hours sobbing and clutching eachother until their throats were raw and arms ached. The boys had already been gone when she got home, the dirty dishes still scattered across the table and sink and a mess upon the floor.

She couldn't bring herself to do it, to look upon each one of their faces and say a final goodbye with a sincerity and compassion she was sure they couldn't return to hers.

And as she turned to look over her shoulder one last time, she saw her boys. They were together and heading in the direction of the training grounds, and she didn't even know that they went this early in the morning. So strong, so beautiful they were in her eyes, and so not hers.

They were men now, and they did not need her.

But Sakura Haruno needed them.

**A/N: It's me....again. Anyway, this story shouldn't be more than a few chapter cuz I'm just testing the waters and stuff and I have problems sticking to one thing at a time. I like to multitask. Lol. Well, hope you liked it so far.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Chappy two. Yay! I don't even know where I found the time for this today. Damn school. Lol. Anyway, I appreciate the reviews. They really do help!**

"Damn, Teme," Naruto commented after Sasuke was grazed by yet another weapon. "What's wrong with you today?"

Sasuke didn't respond. In fact, he didn't think he could because he wasn't sure himself. There was just this odd feeling in the pit of his stomach that annoyed him. And he didn't know of anything that annoyed him this much other than Sakura.

Getting into another stance, he fought the feeling back and continued his intense battle with the azure eyed man before him. Kakashi, instead of sitting, was leaning back against the rough bark of a tree and leisurely reading his book.

"Naruto!"

The shout was sudden and high pitched, causing Naruto to whip his neck around in surprise and get a flash of whiplash. Ino, whose hair was in utter disarray, was heading toward them, producing a furious aura.

"Oh shit," Naruto muttered under his breath, and Sasuke smirked amusedly.

The dark haired male leaned back against the nearest tree to watch the scene unfold.

"How could you!" Ino shouted as she drew nearer, absolute fury playing in her cerulean eyes. Her eyes were puffy and red rimmed and her face pale.

"Ino, what-" Naruto began, concern beginning to grab at him.

"No. You shut the hell up," Ino snapped, causing Naruto's eyebrows to raise, and Sasuke to snicker. Suddenly, her shoulders sagged and tears sparkled in her eyes. "She wasted so much of her life taking care of you three asses, and you can't even take the time to notice her for a second. Sasuke, I understand you not caring. I mean, when have you ever cared about Sakura for a moment. But you, Naruto, you couldn't even talk your best friend out of going. Or you, Kakashi, you couldn't take your nose out of that damn book long enough to care. God, you just let her go."

Ino broke off and choked on a sob. Sasuke, who had lost the smirk a long time ago, was now staring at the long blonde haired girl in confusion and pushed himself off the tree to stand upright. Kakashi had abandoned his book and was now also staring upon the girl.

"What's wrong with Sakura?" Naruto asked, panic rising in his throat. When Ino failed to respond, he grasped her roughly by the shoulders and shook her roughly. "Ino, what did she do!"

There was a soft sniffle. "She took a suicide mission."

Naruto's hands dropped stiffly. Sasuke's head snapped up swiftly, and Kakashi's book fell to the ground with a soft thud.

All three pairs of eyes were wide with shock, and a biting cold spilled into their chests.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"How could you even offer her that mission!"

Naruto was standing before Tsunade, his bright eyes darkened by fury and his large hands pressed down flat against the mahogany desk before him. The blonde woman behind said desk sat back in her chair lips pressed tightly together and hands folded uncharacteristically in her lap.

Her eyes flashed dangerously when Naruto raised his voice to an inappropriate level, and she stood from her chair so she was face to face with the teen.

"Don't you dare accuse me of anything, Uzumaki," she hissed lowly. "Sakura is like a daughter to me, and I would never want to do this to someone so dear, but I have duties to this village as Sakura does. She knew what being a ninja would cost and the sacrifices she would have to make."

"So its duty before love, then?" Naruto asked, his voice lowering but still equally venomous.

Tsunade was not fazed. "She had a chance to decline the mission."

"But you knew she wouldn't." Naruto's voice was changing tone so quickly, it was almost mind blogging. Now, there was only a sad desperation, like that of a child.

"Of course I knew," Tsunade responded evenly. "Sakura had always been a wonderful kunoichi, devoted to the safety and stability of this village. Turning down a mission, whether fatal or not, would go against everything she's ever felt. And Sakura's always wanted to be a great kunoichi."

Naruto, seeming to have lost his ability to speak, collapsed in the chair behind him. Kakashi and Sasuke took a place on either side of him, both silent to the bone and stock still. The blonde had been the only one to speak when they had first entered the room, going straight into a fit of anger and practically screaming at the Hokage.

Though Tsunade wasn't sure because of his mask, Kakashi looked about two shades paler than usual, and his normally warm eyes were softened by disbelief and watching the scene before him without a word of input.

Sasuke, too, seemed out of the ordinary. His face was rigid and expressionless, but his eyes were frozen on a spot on the wall across the room, several emotions betraying his act of indifference. Truthfully, he was angry. No, downright furious with Tsunade for even offering the mission to Sakura and absolutely livid with Sakura for accepting it. Kami, he really shouldn't have cared, but he did.

He was angry, and he was worried. But most of all he was scared.

And damn, he hated saying that even to himself, but at the moment it seemed foolish to keep denying it. But denying it made it so much easier.

"What exactly are the chances of survival?" Kakashi spoke finally, his voice raspier than usual.

There was a long pause before an answer was spoken. "Less than five percent."

Naruto slumped back in his chair, the numbers having made him breathless, and Sasuke and Kakashi went even more rigid.

It was despairing and painful to witness the scene before her, three powerful shinobi knocked down by words and realizations, but she was at a loss of what to do.

"She isn't coming back," Sasuke stated simply, the words rebounding off the walls with loud booms and explosions.

And Naruto's shoulders began to shake softly, angry tears rolling down his cheeks and splashing onto the carpet. Without a word, he stood swiftly from his chair and walked briskly out of the room. Kakashi raised his head to reveal a pained face and followed slowly.

Sasuke, however, remained. All that was visible to Tsunade was the top of his spiky ebony hair, and when he raised his head there was nothing. She wanted to punch the living daylights out of him when she could read no expression on his face. For once, she wished he would reveal something, anything.

Even though she knew that he was tearing up on the inside, it wasn't enough. She wanted to see something from him. Maybe it was because she knew he was a great part of the reason for Sakura's pain, and she wanted revenge. Maybe it was because it would seem like a sort of redemption for Sakura, a compensation for her death in sorts.

But no, Sasuke just gave the Hokage a long, hard look and left.

Tsunade stared furiously at the door after it had closed. And she realized it wasn't Sasuke she was angry with. It was herself.

Because she gave out the mission.

Because she gave it to Sakura.

Because she just killed the closest thing she had to a daughter.

And she let her head drop onto the desk, and for the first time in several years she cried.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Blood mingled and sloshed with the muddy ground, and the heavy onslaught of rain erased the sweat pouring from their bodies.

Despite the fact that they were outnumbered and badly injured, the mission was a success.

Kisame had been defeated and now lay in the middle of the battlefield, mangled and gone.

They went after him first, while they had all of their energy. But the Akatsuki underling had indeed proved to be a threat, immediately engaging them in battle before they could even throw a punch in Kisame's direction.

It would be a lie if Sakura were to say she had been scared. Because, in actuality, she had been absolutely terrified. There wasn't a moment where she wasn't dodging a weapon or a moment where her heart was hammering harshly in her chest.

And from the corner of her eye, she had seen Kisame knock Kiba to his knees. All she could taste was fear; it sprang into her throat and seized her stomach and propelled her forward. So when Kisame raised his blade to deliver the final blow, it was rammed through her stomach instead of through Kiba's heart. Her eyes slammed shut on the impact, her body receiving the ripping pain with a gasp. And when she raised her eyelids, their gazes met.

She had never seen eyes like his, so hard and abysmal. They chilled her to the bone and struck her chest with another bolt of fear, but she held it. Even when he so savagely wrenched the blade from her body, she refused to back down. It was until Shikamaru appeared behind Kisame and knocked his head off with one clean swipe of a sword that she fell back into the mud.

And that was where she currently lay. Pink strands of hair were plastered to her pale cheeks by the rain, and the waves of pain that had previously been hitting her was now just one overpowering sensation that numbed and burned her at the same time.

Darkening emerald eyes turned heavenward, staring up into the crying night sky. So sadly beautiful, so heartbreaking.

The sounds of clashing metal rang in her ears, and she slowly turned her head to the right. Kiba lay beside her, breathing shallow and eyes shut. Blood seeped from a deep wound on his side, mingling with the mud and turning it a deep burgundy. If there was anything she could do, it would be for her team.

Biting her lip to withhold a cry, she raised herself up and dragged her weak body to his. Brushing back hair with the back of her hand, she pumped chakra into her hands and pressed her palms to the young man's side. With every passing second, she could feel her own energy draining, and then her body went limp.

She collapsed onto her stomach beside Kiba, the rain feeling like stabbing needles against her back. The mud was thick and slimy beneath her, and her damp clothes clung to her thin form. Resting her head on her arm, she let a few tears stray from her eyes.

She waited for that feeling of pride and accomplishment to wash over her, but it never came. All she could feel was regret and despair. She was going to die here, and the realization hit her resentfully. There was a bitter tang in her mouth, and angry tears gushed from her eyes.

If anything, Kiba would live a bit longer, and Shikamaru was still fighting. Kami, how she would give anything for them to make it through this. Maybe she'd be documented as a failure if she was the only one to perish, but at least they would live on. Kiba still had his family to go home to, and Shikamaru couldn't leave Ino behind. What did she have?

Her family wasn't really there, they were fake, intangible. But her love was real, and it wasn't fading anytime soon.

And she was suddenly flooded with memories of the past, of those people she would leave behind. Desperation and anguish had never smoldered in her as hotly as it did now, and she felt as if her very heart was being pressed by a cement block.

Sasuke's face floated behind her eyelids. The bastard he was, she could never push him away. It always came down to him. He was her center of gravity, and she hated it. She hated that he had such a hold on her when she couldn't even get the slightest touch on him.

"Well, well, well," came a deep, hoarse voice from above her.

She craned her neck slightly to see a tall, bulky male sneering down upon her with amusement. He squatted down beside her, dripping black hair falling into dark eyes. Sasuke was all her mind could conjure.

"A little too pretty for a kunoichi if you ask me," he said tauntingly, running a calloused finger along the length of her chin and across her lips.

She released a repulsed shudder at his actions and weakly turned her head away from his touch. He emitted a dark chuckle and stood once more. "All you leaf nin are too damn proud."

Helplessness hit her full force, and she glanced about wildly for anything to assist her. A small sword lay sunken into the mud just a few feet in front of her, the rain making soft pings against it. Gritting her teeth, she clutched a fist full of mud in her hand, trying to pull herself forward. It squelched and oozed through her fingers uselessly, but she persisted.

Tears of desperation stung her eyes, and the closer she got to the blade the faster her blood pumped, roaring in her ears and making her skin tingle. Stretching her arm to its full length, her fingertips grazed the hilt when a heavy boot suddenly came crashing down on her hand.

She released a muffled scream when she felt several sharp cracks in her small hand. Applying to more pressure to it, the man smirked when she cried out.

"Not even that will help you now, Sweetheart," he said dauntingly.

More tears fell when she heard him pull a weapon, and her head fell back onto her arm. She was tired, so tired. The blade sang as it sailed through the air toward her.

Her heart was deflating in her chest, her mind grabbing at all those precious things and cradling them near. While she still felt the pelting rain and slick mud beneath her, she was numb and floating.

And Sakura Haruno closed her eyes.

**A/N: Am I going in the right direction here? I mean, if something is wrong then please do tell, nicely though. : ) At the moment, I'm just writing at random, no total outline or whatever. I'm just free balling it. Lol. Well, I'll update soon....maybe. And if you have any suggestions, feel free to share. : )**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Chapter 3! Ya!**

It was the first actual mission they had had together in quite some time, but there was no typical joking or teasing, just silence. Pale moonlight glanced through the trees of the forest and basked the world in a silver glare.

There was only about three quarters of a mile left until they reached home, but home was a place where you went for comfort and respite. And everywhere they went, she was heavy in their minds. They knew they would gradually heal with time, but they didn't want to heal. They wanted Sakura to be there beside them, smiling and telling them how great they did. But people often wanted what they couldn't have.

It had been a full nine days since they'd last days, and nine days was a long time to be left alone with your mind. They had been stupid. They had been selfish, so absorbed in their own needs they simply forgot about hers. And what they all seemed to be asking themselves was how. How could they forget about someone who was always there? How could they let her go?

Disgust and rage ran deep in Naruto's veins, so fierce it burned his skin and made his blood boil. Never mind the fact that he was a shinobi of a high caliber. He kept face in public, but in the safety and dark silence of his room, he cried. He cried like there was no tomorrow because in reality there was no longer a tomorrow he looked forward to. His best friend, his bright smile, his teammate, his forever dependable was gone. And it ate him from the inside out, starting with a dull ripping around the edges of his heart. He gave her nothing, and she took everything from him in return.

Self loathing reigned in Kakashi's system. He was war torn and well acquainted with death, but now he was broken. He'd lost part of his team before, and he had been certain that they took whatever remained of his heart with them. So he was sourly surprised when that familiar fire sprang up in his chest once more. Only this time, it was different. Though the regret and distress still wavered, there was something more, like the vulnerability a child would feel when he was lost. Sakura hadn't been like the boys. There was something special about her, like he had to be gentler and more compassionate with her, and he didn't mind doing so. After all, she was special to him.

Sasuke, with his hands jammed deep into his pockets, glanced about at his two teammates walking solemnly beside him. Kakashi stared straight ahead, face stoic but eyes portraying all the emotions he currently felt. Naruto was simply beaten down. He didn't bother trying to look strong or unaffected because she had been his sister, his best friend, his teammate.

And for once, Sasuke was jealous of the blonde. It just wasn't in his nature to let down those walls and allow someone to get under his skin like that. For once, he just wished he could be weak and divulge his emotions and just…..feel.

It was her fault. If that stupid, annoying, freak haired little girl hadn't gone off and taken that mission like a damn fool-every insult he made towards her, even in his mind, made him wince outwardly, and he pushed her as far out of his mind as possible.

At that moment, he raised his head and froze, shock halting the very flow of his blood. Struggling to swallow, he stilled his movements instantly. He was sure that the figures before his eyes were his imagination playing ghastly tricks on him, but Naruto and Kakashi had stopped moving as well and were staring at the same apparition as he.

Battered and bloodied, were two standing figures in torn ANBU garb. They were tattered and bruised, splattered with blood that was undoubtedly some of their own and their opponents. Their vests were in near tatters, and the exhaustion hung heavily on their faces. Kiba was panting loud enough for them to hear and clutching his side, bent over slightly at the waist. Shikamaru was standing slightly more upright but in a condition no better than his fellow teammate. And he was carrying someone.

Bathed in the silver radiance of the moon, she was cradled against the chest of her team captain. Mussed hair framed her pale face in a halo of pink, and the hoary glow from the sky gave her skin an ethereal glow that made her seem unreal and inhuman. A dainty hand hung limply at her side, swinging lifelessly from side to side. And Kami, Sasuke had never seen a picture so captivating.

Time stood still for what seemed like an eternity before Shikamaru locked eyes with Kakashi and Kiba collapsed. Then, the three men were rushing forward faster than the blink of an eye.

Shikamaru had sunk to his knees, Sakura still in his arms, and Kakashi caught him as he began to fall forward slightly.

"No," the dark haired young man wheezed. "I'm fine. Sakura…take her."

All eyes turned to the small girl he was lifting upward, and Naruto stifled a gasp. She was bleeding profusely from her stomach, and small cuts adorned her face, save for one deep one across her cheek. Her naturally pale skin was a sickly white, and the blood streaks contrasted brightly against it. A thin line of red trailed out of her mouth, and her face looked taut and hard. But she wore death well, grasping it's horrid and agonizing nature with grace and striking serenity.

Naruto shakily reached his hand out toward her face, his mind so full of horror and despair to even produce tears. Thick fingertips grazed the icy expanse of her cheek and immediately snapped back when a swift, ragged breath was sucked through pale pink lips.

Kakashi immediately took up command. "Naruto, I need you to take Shikamaru and Sasuke you take Inuzuka."

They did as they were told without objection, and Kakashi gently took Sakura up into his arms. Then, they were off, running with everything they had left. The chilly wind whipped against their faces like harsh punches, but they were not fazed.

Kakashi felt a faint tug at his vest and glanced downward. Sakura's tiny fist had bunched up the fabric weakly, and she let out a wheeze that sounded awfully like a laugh. He realized, with painful sadness, that it was indeed an attempt at laughter.

"Kakashi," she said with a wavering smile and lidded eyes that seemed unfocused and blurry. "Didn't think-" she broke off to cough severely. "Didn't think…..I'd be seeing you again so soon."

He was sure his heart had ever made such a painful stutter as it did then, but her next words nearly made it collapse.

"Sensei," she said, her voice fainter and wobbly. "It's so cold."

He nearly stumbled, and his pulse immediately sped up. "Sasuke," the Copy Nin called with a franticness and tremor that his former students had never heard before.

The group stopped running abruptly, and Kakashi was quick to issue orders. "Sasuke, you're a much faster runner than I. Give me Kiba and then run as fast as you can with Sakura. She doesn't have much longer."

Sasuke's eyes connected with the older man's for an extended second, the shock poorly concealed in the Uchiha's eyes. Then, moving quickly, the two managed to exchange their charges, and Sasuke ran.

The sharpness of the wind made his eyes water slightly, and the scenery of the forest flashed before his eyes in a blur. Dark eyes dared to drift to the light weight in his arms, drinking in every single injury and smudge on her porcelain skin.

One hand was cradled on her stomach, the fingers of said hand bent at odd and gruesome angles, and a sudden and unexpected anger burst in the pit of his stomach. He glanced once more at the kunoichi and inhaled sharply when her eyes cracked open the slightest bit to reveal a sliver of dark emerald and her body tensed, her teeth biting down on her lip from a sudden pain smacking into her body.

And then her eyelids slid shut once more, and her body went completely slack against his chest. The wild fear that overtook him fueled him to run even faster, now pushing him to an unbelievable speed, and the gates of Konoha reared into view. As soon as he passed through them, everything seemed to move in even more of a blur.

He could see the curious and shocked faces of the civilians flash past, and then he burst through the hospital doors. A nurse took one look at the wild eyed and disarrayed Uchiha and then the beaten form of Sakura and immediately began issuing orders.

Sasuke, surprisingly, did everything he was told without hesitation or argument. He was in a sort of trance, and the nurse, who was well aware of his stubborn nature, used this to her advantage. She spoke to the obliging young man in a stern and commanding tone, directing him to a room where he very tenderly set Sakura onto the bed. Surprised, she stopped for a moment as the young man tucked a strand of hair behind Sakura's ear. The nurse was sure he wasn't even aware of it, his eyes glazed and wild.

It wasn't until the small nurse tried to usher Sasuke out of the room did she receive some troubles. He regained his senses enough to understand that he was being separated from the rosette. He struggled and argued, shouting loudly and scaring some of the other nurses. His mind was in a frenzy, and he so desperately wanted to be near her that he had to physically restrain himself from using his Chidori.

Naruto and Kakashi finally burst through the door, and the blonde locked his arms around his friend and dragged him, with some difficulty, out of the room.

"I'm sorry, Uchiha-san," the nurse said softly as she began to shut the door.

He caught a glimpse of Sakura's unmoving body surrounded by several women, and the single second before the door closed, he heard a long droned out beeping.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_The heavens were dark and shadowed today. Clouds of the thickest nature plastered the sky, black and dark and menacing. Cool winds soundlessly rustled the leaves on the trees, and soft pink petals drifted from the Sakura Trees. _

_Sakura frowned slightly as she walked down the nearly abandoned street. There was a somber air about the city, something that chilled and confused her at the same time. Only a few people littered the streets here and there: a man sweeping his doorstep solemnly, a vendor packing up his cart, a child sitting beneath a large tree with his head resting on his arms. The whole scene made Sakura's heart do an odd twinge and flutter._

_The wind chimes that swayed with the breeze didn't play their usual comforting chime. Instead, it was almost eerie and unsettling. Sakura felt the solemn mood transcend upon her in mere minutes and walked aimlessly for some time, wondering where everyone was._

_A loud crack of thunder sounded from overhead, and Sakura eyes the sky warily. She was already feeling uncomfortable as it was; she didn't need to get rained on and soaked to the bone. Viridian eyes dashed to the right suddenly when she caught sight of a familiar face. It was Shino Aburame, and though they rarely said anything to eachother, she needed some assistance right now._

_With a relieved smile gracing her soft features, she called his name. He didn't answer, no doubt because he was so far ahead of her._

'_Or maybe he can't hear over his collar,' she reasoned light heartedly. _

_He was walking briskly, as if he had an appointment, his head ducked down. Sakura followed swiftly, calling his name two more times before finally getting exasperated at his lack of response. Finally breaking into a soft run, she managed to catch him and was just about to reach for his arm when she saw a large mass of people gathered together._

_Forgetting Shino as he disappeared into the crowd, she eyed the throng of black clad people with puzzlement. By their attire, she presumed it was possibly a formal occasion. Standing on the tips of her toes and craning her neck, she attempted to peer over the crowd and caught a glimpse of Tsunade facing the people and a flash of familiar yellow hair._

"_Finally," the rosette mumbled to herself, making her way toward front._

_Naruto stood stiff and erect, his hands clenched in fists by his side, and Sakura released a confused and crooked smile._

"_Hey," she said softly as she neared him, her smile immediately falling from her face when she saw his blood shot and teary eyes._

_Concern jumped into her system quickly, and she rested a hand lightly on his bicep, creating no response from him. "Naruto, what's wrong?" she asked, panic rising into her throat._

_He didn't answer, and Sakura's eyebrows drew together. "Naruto!" She was shaking him now, grabbing his arm tightly, desperately trying to gain his attention. _

"_Naruto!" came her second cry, shrill and frantic._

_It was then she realized that even though she was shaking his arm roughly, it wasn't moving the slightest bit. His whole body was still in the same posture, and only when she stopped did he start shaking. But it was from the fresh tears and silent sobs wracking his body. She placed her hands on his face and tried to wrench it in her direction but nothing happened._

_Immense fright made her head dizzy, and she slowly backed away from the blonde, staring incredulously at him. Beside him, was Hinata, crying softly, her petite hand being swallowed by Naruto's large one. And then beside her Neji, and Tenten, Lee, Kiba on crutches, Ino being held tightly by a bandaged Shikamaru, Iruka, all her friends were there and they all looked so distraught. And as her eyes continued along the line, she saw Kakashi and Sasuke._

"_Sasuke! Kakashi!" she cried as she ran unstably toward them._

_Neither of them responded but it didn't stop her. She grabbed onto her former sensei's arm like a child and tugged harshly, receiving no answer. And with her heart screaming in her chest, she turned to Sasuke._

"_Kami, Sasuke, for once just be someone I can depend on," she screamed as she pounded on his chest. Each blow to him made her weaker and tears burst from her eyes as she leaned her head helplessly against his chest._

_And suddenly, she felt him tense and raised her head with hope intensifying inside her. She was filled with bitter disappointment when she saw his eyes focused on something behind her. He wasn't the only one. Several people were standing more erect, their heads raised to stare off behind the breaking rosette._

_Finally, Sakura turned to see Tsunade standing before a large stone monument, somber and hard. When Sakura's eyes drifted passed the busty older woman, every emotion flew from her body and she was numb._

_**Sakura Haruno. KIA.**_

_And for a while, she couldn't feel, only hear, as Tsunade praised that "opportunistic and devoted kunoichi who could heal the world with a smile almost as easily as she could heal a shinobi's battle wounds." And she listened to Tsunade's speech about the woman, not girl, "who held the respect of villages across the country" and "would give her life if it meant someone else could live just a moment longer."_

_After a while, she stopped listening and just watched as the faces around her contorted with grief ridden expressions and tried to hold back tears that fell anyway. And she finally cried with them because she was losing them just like they were losing her._

_She didn't even notice when everyone began to walk forward and place white roses at the base of the monument. Sad faces gradually disappeared after they left their roses, and the stunned kunoichi felt a repeating shatter in chest as each one of her friends moved forward. _

_And with desolate eyes she watched them all go. It was an achingly slow process, and after some time it was only Naruto, Sasuke, Kakashi, and Tsunade left. The four stood there, shoulder to shoulder, staring at the smooth granite. A gentle drizzle began to fall, but no one was fazed. It was Kakashi and Tsunade who moved first, walking stiffly up to the monument but making no other move._

_From the side, Sakura could see Kakashi's visible eye clamped shut in pain before he reopened it with a shaky sigh and dropped the flower atop the others. He and Tsunade moved together once more, turning and walking straight in Sakura's direction. They were wide enough apart for them to pass on either side of the girl, and she stood motionless, shining eyes wide and wet with flowing tears._

_Her lips moved, as if to say something, but what use were words on deaf ears. A part of her was yanked as they passed and she gasped. _

_When she focused her gaze again, she saw Naruto drop to his knees and bury his head in his hands, finally bawling out his woes. And Sakura flew forward, dropping down behind him and wrapping her arms around his being. She could feel his sobs so wonderfully, his heart beating roughly in his chest._

_She wished he could feel hers breaking._

_Sobs and cries wracked her frail body as she clung to the man. She was dead. Dead. Dead. Dead._

_And she didn't want to be, not yet. Not until she'd had her happy ending. Not until Naruto and Hinata got married and Kakashi buried his books. Not until she and Tenten went on that shopping spree they'd always talked about or until she and Ino spent a night under the stars. Not until she had Sasuke, just like he had her._

_She saw his hand land on Naruto's shoulder, pulling the blonde to his feet without his usual roughness or rudeness. The dark haired male's face was drawn and pale, but he revealed nothing else. Just as he began to lead Naruto away, Sakura fisted the bottom of his pants into a fist, wanting nothing more than to hold onto him forever. And he stopped, only for a moment, to give the monument a long stare before turning away. _

_Lightning splintered the sky, and the thunder played another rumbling roll. Sakura couldn't breathe; she was crying so hard she felt her stomach heave and her throat close._

_And when another flash brightened the sky, a brilliant white light remained as burning pain fired through Sakura's system. This light, so bright it hurt, seemed to crawl toward her, finally enveloping her in white hot pain. It just hurt so bad._

_And Sakura Haruno let go._

**A/N: Omg! Finally! But it's not over yet so………**

**; ) And this is where I'm sorta stuck so I don't know how long it'll take for Chapter 4. I was actually thinking Chapter 4 would be the last one cuz it was supposed to be a short story, but I just don't know. Why won't my brain think! LOL. Tell me what you think.**


	4. Chapter 4

"Sakura."

Nothing.

"Sakura."

An arm shifted, fingers twitched, and an unconscious sigh escaped pale lips.

The voice, whoever it belonged to, sounded so familiar. The very pitch rung through her ears but could not be placed. Sakura, floating in a dark abyss of nothing, struggled to grasp the knowledge of who it was. Though it was faint, she flitted through what she could conjure of her memories, trying to place it.

Achingly slow, that darkness was illuminated by a bright light until all she could see was white. And as it gradually faded to a softer hue and she was brought crashing back down to earth and reality, pain was dumped onto her body. It wasn't sharp and stinging but rather like slow lava pulsing through her veins and a hard soreness settling atop it. Her side, which adorned a gash, was throbbing softly, but it didn't hold a candle to the tender and pulsating flesh around her newly healed stab wound in her stomach.

Emerald eyes, still slightly glazed and unfocused, floated lazily around the small room. The white walls, baby blue blanket covering her body, the large window revealing the currently stormy weather. She was in the hospital.

And before her with shining eyes and wide smile, was Tsunade. Her cinnamon eyes were softened by relief and affection, and she released a trembling sigh when the girl's eyes finally landed on her.

"Shishou?" Sakura questioned her own eyes with a groggy voice.

Tsunade nodded, and sharp tears clung to Sakura's eyes. She was alive. She wasn't going anywhere. But the dream so vividly hung in her memory that she wanted to question her sanity right now. It was surreal, to experience death and life in a single moment, and being bounced around made her feel slightly dizzy and overwhelmed.

"How do you feel?" Tsunade asked when she noticed Sakura wince slightly.

"Like shit," she replied light heartedly, falling into the pillow softly.

"You may be sore for about five more days," the older woman said, going into full medic mode. "We managed to heal everything quite easily after we revived you-"

"I died!" A part of Sakura wasn't too surprised. Her wounds had been pretty extensive, but she never imagined that she'd make it out alive. Even after she killed her opponent and lay helplessly in the mud, with the rain stabbing at her so mercilessly, she never thought she'd see anything passed that day. She was sure the last thing to grace her eyes, would be the flow of her blood mingling with the mud and the endless wall of rain separating her from her comrades.

She didn't know what came over her while that man unsheathed his weapon to deliver the final blow. She was just so sick of losing and being underestimated, and she wanted someone to really grasp how hard she could fight. So, when the man had mistakenly lifted his boot off of her distorted hand, she gathered her remaining strength, driven by hurt and anger, and grabbed that katana and swung it clean through the Akatsuki underling.

But there hadn't been any feeling of triumph, just a sense of finality. Her finality.

Now, she was repaid.

"Well, yes," Tsunade continued. "But only for a moment. Anyway, no big movements, no running, not training, try to refrain from using your chakra for the time being, no heavy lifting. In fact, I think I'll keep you here for a bit just to supervise you."

"Shishou," Sakura whined. "You know I can't sit still for more than a few hours."

"Well that's too damn bad," Tsunade responded jokingly. "Besides, Naruto will keep you busy while he's here."

Sakura's mood immediately saddened.

'_If they even know I'm here.' _She thought to herself as she turned her head to the window to watch the rain slap against the glass.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It had only been a few hours, and Sakura was just sitting silently in her bed, thinking about her dream. It was still so vivid and fresh in her mind that it hurt just thinking about it. To finally understand death so personally and intimately was something she had never wanted, and she really wished she was still in the dark. But it was her burden now, and she wouldn't let it weigh her down.

The door suddenly flew open with a bang that made her jump, and her head whipped to the door. Despite her previous thoughts, she couldn't stop the excited and happy flutter her heart made when Naruto and Kakashi entered the room.

"Sakura!" Naruto cried elatedly, flying to her bed and enveloping her in a tight hug.

Her body, still in its weakened state, could scarcely move, and her arms shook from the exertion to just wrap her arms around his lean build. He was squeezing her so tightly she could scarcely breathe, but she didn't mind. So she just let her head rest in the crook of his neck while he breathed in the scent of her hair.

The blonde felt his throat close painfully several times, all the apologies and relieved shouts he would chant to her as long as she wished piling up into a large mass. Guilt had never gnawed at him, at Kakashi and Sasuke too, as much as the discovery of her "death." He knew she had suffered from neglect and loneliness and pain, and it ripped him to pieces knowing that those were the last things he would ever give her.

And he was almost angry with her for wrapping her arms around him as tightly as she possibly could. She should shout at him and make him feel what she felt and treat him like dirt, but relief overpowered it all, and he sank into her loving embrace.

Kami, she missed this. She missed seeing Kakashi's eye crinkle in the corners when he smiled and Naruto's bone crushing hugs. And she missed Sasuke…..

It was somewhat sad and heartbreaking that she wasn't surprised that Sasuke didn't appear with the other two. Because the mature and realistic part of her knew that her relationship with the handsome young man was one sided and that the Uchiha was well out of her reach and always would be. But the hopeless romantic side of her still clung to this little string of hope that one day her feelings would be returned and acknowledged.

Her eyes locked with Kakashi's over Naruto's shoulder, and the unsaid yet powerful emotions lingering there made two tears glide down her cheeks. Naruto finally pulled back, and she was beyond touched to see tears brimming in his cerulean pools.

"Didn't think I'd be seeing you again so soon," he said softly, repeating her earlier words to Kakashi, and he cupped her face in his hands. "You really took a beating, but I knew you'd pull through."

She smiled gently. "You didn't think I'd be leaving you boys to take care of yourselves, did you? Who would make sure you bathed every day?"

Naruto smiled sheepishly and moved back when Kakashi came forward. "You did a good job, Kid," the silver haired man commented. "Heard some great things about you from your team."

Sakura graced Kakashi with the smile that he had never been able to refuse or disappoint, one that he'd never wanted to refuse or disappoint, and he placed his hand affectionately on her head. "It's good to see you again, Sensei."

"Sakura, I'm no longer your-" but he stopped suddenly because he didn't care what she called him. She was here, and she was breathing and smiling for him, and that was more than good enough.

With wobbly arms, she tried to push herself up into a more comfortable sitting position, and the older man immediately placed his hand on her back in assistance.

She suddenly felt the need to bawl her eyes out right then and there. Despite her previous pains and doubts, she could see in their eyes what they had gone through, the pain that had eaten away at them in her absence. Their faces were pale and tired, but their smiles were wide and bright, and she could only return what they were giving her.

It was just the three of them for hours, laughing and talking up the world. She hadn't been this happy for months, and it sort of gave her a sense of freedom to finally let it all out. But Sasuke was still in the back of her mind, popping up every minute and reminding her that she still wasn't completely happy. But she would make the best of what she had at this moment.

It was night by the time Kakashi had left, but Naruto hung back for a moment.

"There was a reason Sasuke couldn't come," he said, his face uncharacteristically serious.

"Naruto, it's okay. I know Sasuke-"

He cut her off. "You didn't see him when they took you in. He went berserk, yelling and thrashing. And the moment when you…..when you died, he totally lost it. He started punching walls and nearly broke down the door to get in here, and it took both Kakashi and I to restrain him."

Sakura turned her face away, concealing tears. Futile hopes. False thoughts. She was being told things she'd always wished for, and wishing was all she could do. She'd had one miracle. There wouldn't be another.

Naruto placed a calloused palm on her cheek and turned her face gently in his direction. "Hey," he said gently, soothingly. His eyes were gentle. "We all love you. I mean, you're practically a part of me, more than a sister. And Sasuke loves you more than you both realize, maybe even more than Kakashi and I, if that's even possible. He's just doesn't know how to show it." His eyes searched hers for a long moment, and his face fell. "You don't believe me."

"No," she answered weakly. "I want to more than anything, but I can't."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The next two days passed in the fastest haze Sakura had ever experienced. There wasn't a single moment that she was left alone. She presumed it was because everyone didn't want her to be alone and have time to think about the incident, but she had sustained emotional scarring that wouldn't fade for a while. The only ones who truly understood that were Naruto and Kakashi, who stopped by on a regular basis and stayed for hours at a time. When she didn't want to talk, they sat in silence, comfortable and at ease. And when she wanted to talk, they were all ears.

Most of the time, however, they did talk. About nothing. About everything. And she loved it. She often found herself wondering if she would eventually fade back into an insignificant other but doubt shoved the thoughts away when she the fondness in Naruto's tanned face and the tenderness in Kakashi's eye.

And before they left to return home in the late hours of the night, Naruto would hug her tightly to his body for several lingering seconds, and Kakashi would make some sort of affectionate gesture, like a soft pat on the head or shoulder. As little as they were, they meant the world to her.

It was rather uplifting, having so many friends here all of the time. Kiba visited constantly after thanking her profusely for saving his life. When she wasn't with Shikamaru, Ino visited as well, and Hinata and Tenten made a few visits every day.

And though she was happy, she knew she wasn't completely happy because the Uchiha never failed to make an appearance in her thoughts and wipe her smiles clean off her face in the most random of moments.

Her heart, raw and frayed around the edges, was sent into a frenzy of harsh flutters and erratic hammers at the mere mention of the Uchiha. Her very skin crawled and ached for him more intensely than it ever had before, and her mind even felt weakened by his lack of presence.

The second night was the first she'd been alone since her arrival at the hospital. Naruto had stood about an hour ago and announced with a bright smile that he had a date with Hinata, and Sakura didn't bother to withhold the girlish squeal bubbling inside her. And Kakashi, albeit reluctantly, had left early in the afternoon for a short mission.

So Sakura had hobbled unsteadily over to the large window sill and placed herself atop it, forehead pressed against the cool glass to watch the rain sketch intricate patterns along the panes. It was calming, placing her body under a soft wave of tranquility and her mind drifted.

And she thought of Sasuke.

She tried so unbelievably hard to hate him, but there were just some things her heart wasn't capable of. Her breath fogged up the window, and she splayed her fingers out across the glass as she imagined what it would feel like to touch his face, his hair, his lips. Would they be soft or hard, warm or cold? Would he kiss her with aggression or tenderness?

Sadly, cold aggression stuck in the back of her mind.

And she wondered what it would be like to be held the way Naruto would hold Hinata and the way Shikamaru held Ino, to have Sasuke's arms wrapped around her in a protective cage. Oh, such fruitless desires.

Sighing, she turned from the window and unfurled her legs from beneath her to stand, using the window seat to steady herself. She felt rather than saw his presence first. It was the way her skin suddenly prickled and a soft chill shook its way down her spine. Nonetheless, a gasp stilled in her throat, and her knees nearly buckled when she raised her eyes to the doorway.

There he was, in all his Uchiha glory, standing with his hands jammed deep in her pockets and obsidian eyes staring intently at her, was Sasuke.

Though his face was expressionless, his posture was stiff and his eyes more intent than usual. But what was so odd to Sakura was the fact that he was even here. Shock had frozen her limbs, and her heart was hammering in her throat, making it difficult for her to speak.

"S…Sasuke," she stuttered after several silent moments, her words catching. "What are you doing here?"

When he finally answered, a delighted chill ran down her spine. Only days ago, she was sure she would never hear his voice again. "I thought you'd be asleep."

Silence ensued. The pinkette was sure he could hear the wild thrashing of her heart in her chest, and all she could do was stare at the Uchiha blankly as she digested his words. Surprise melded into confusion, confusion into disbelief, and finally disbelief into anger. It pulsated in her veins and congregated in her throat so that when she opened her mouth to speak, nothing was heard.

So hurt by his cowardice, she turned sharply away from him to face the window once more. She had almost died, her last thoughts going out to him, and he couldn't even gather enough nerve to face her and see how she was faring.

The dark haired male glared fiercely at the young woman's back, still frozen in the same position as before. He couldn't believe she just turned away like that, away from him. And though anger licked at him, he couldn't squash the shame that glimmered inside him as well.

Maybe he was scared because he'd seen death and people who had narrowly escaped it, forever changed by the horror of it. He didn't want to see that change in her eyes. He didn't want to see the lingering lifelessness in those emerald orbs or the strained, tight set of her face. He didn't want her to become hollow and cold.

He didn't want her to become like him.

"You…." She finally spoke up in an unsteady, barely audible tone. "You've been here before."

She remembered now. Several nights she'd woken and seen, or thought she'd seen, Sasuke standing against the wall opposite her bed. Sometimes, he was staring straight at her, just watching as she shook her head to clear the illusion. Other times, he was looking out the window casually, as if the wall was the most comfortable spot in the world. She had been so sure they were dreams.

"Aa," he answered, locking his eyes on her body, looking for a reaction.

Her frail form sagged slightly, her arms supporting her still weakened legs by the palms pressed against the windowsill. Though faint, his eyes detected the slightest tremble in her arms, and he was tempted to order her to sit down. But he remained silent.

"And you didn't bother to say hi just once." Her voice was unsteady and thick, sounding sad and pathetic to his ears.

"Aa."

She clenched her fists tightly, trying to fight back tears and other emotions she just didn't want to feel for him right now. But they didn't stray.

Uchihas didn't feel regret and shame, but he damn sure did. Why couldn't he look at her the way he had when they were on Team 7? Why did her simple presence overwhelm his senses so powerfully? Why did he have to care?

Her silence had more of an effect on him than anything she had ever done. He was waiting for her to speak, his ears burning to hear all the hateful things she should be screaming at him right now, but nothing came.

Sakura was tired, tired of getting hurt over and over and tired of having to build herself back up. Sasuke could see it now, the way she let her shoulders fall and her body cave in slightly. And then his eyes traveled to other things, like the way her hair still managed to cascade down her back in a vibrant waterfall of pink even while she wore that hideous white hospital gown and how the fragile composition of her body made her all the more alluring.

Sakura inhaled deeply, trying to make sense of the odd jumble of emotions raving in her body. It was all too much right now.

With her back to the Uchiha, she opened her mouth to speak, but her words were blocked by the rising her lump in her throat. Swallowing harshly and thickly, she didn't stop.

"Sasuke," her voice coming out stronger than she expected. "I think you should leave. I can't do this right now, and you obviously don't want to do this ever, so-"

A gasp suddenly swallowed her words when she felt his body behind her, not touching, but close enough to feel the glorious heat radiating from his skin. Her eyes, which had already been glued to the window, could see his reflection in the darkened glass. He was staring straight back at her through the reflection, eyes intent and fierce even through the faint outlining on the glass.

She was suddenly struck by that memory of so long ago, of this same position and the same tears falling from her eyes. And like all those years ago, she could feel his soft breath fanning over her neck and the wild striking of her heart against her sternum.

His lips moved, and she waited for those same words to slip passed them. Waited for the same footsteps to follow in his departure and echo endlessly in her ears.

So she was shocked beyond belief when that didn't happen and something else did.

**A/N: I'm so sorry for the ridiculously long wait and abrupt ending to this chapter. My teachers have been hounding me with an insane amount of homework, and I've been out with my friends too much to get anything done. And I'm working on the next chapter as soon as I'm done with this….so yeah. Lets see how long that will take me. Lol.**


	5. Chapter 5

Sasuke's mouth opened, and her breathing stopped entirely. And without a sound, his mouth closed. She blinked. So he wasn't going to say anything. With a furious surge, the anger she was sure had evaporated in her exhaustion only moments earlier returned with even more power, bursting from the very pit of her stomach.

Didn't she deserve an explanation, an apology, some sort of compensation for his ridiculously cold actions? She wasn't a bad person, and she hadn't done a damn thing to him, so, yes, she thought she damn sure did deserve something.

Sasuke's dark eyes traveled to her shoulders and saw them suddenly tense and her whole body became rigid. He was trying, trying so hard to get those words passed his lips, but they weren't coming easily. How could anyone who's never had to say those words before come right out and say them after a time a fright so big?

For the second time, his throat was dry, and something akin to fear fluttered madly in his stomach. The first time he had felt something like this had been the night in the forest, and that had been intensified by about ten.

He was so sure, just so sure, that pushing her away and holding back any emotion would keep him from having any, but he had been dead wrong. Wasn't that grief he felt the day after he learned of Sakura's mission? Hadn't the fear been overpowering when he was running Sakura's nearly lifeless body over to the hospital? Wasn't there a reason why he was here right now?

The girl before him slowly turned to face him, and her eyes had darkened with so many emotions he couldn't really tell what she was feeling. But he could see tears, and his chest got an odd pang. And though the room was filled with nothing but silence, neither of them could hear it.

But the sound of her palm against his cheek reverberated throughout the room like thunder.

His head whipped to the side, and he blinked, caught off guard by her forceful slap. His cheek actually stung, and now so did a small part of his ego. When he slowly moved his head back to face her, he bore no expression, although his lips were pursed tightly together.

She was livid; he could easily tell. Angry tears swelled and gathered in her eyes, falling and peeling away each layer of emotion until all he could see was hurt. Her face was flushed, and her small form trembled. He felt so guilty, so incredibly guilty.

"God!" she exclaimed, voice severely unsteady with anger. "How do you just barge right in here like nothing and….and not say a damn thing! After everything I've done for you, you can't even come to see if I'm okay!" Her lip trembled, and her voice waned down into broken sentences. "What kind of friend are you? I….I try so hard and….and…."

She trailed off, trying desperately to swallow the large lump in her throat that was preventing her from speaking and ultimately failing. She averted her eyes from his, still crying and trying to regain composure.

Sasuke could see how pained she was, how much he had failed her, and it pained him too. Wisps of her hair were plastered to her wet cheeks, and she looked so forlorn sniffling and crying in front of him, and he was so sorry.

He suddenly felt so drawn to her frail form and hesitantly reached his hand out to her face. Her head snapped up when his calloused finger tips brushed her cheek, and wide viridian eyes darted to his in surprise. They were so captivating.

And a warm pulse shocked his body upon contact with her skin, and his lips magnetically found their way to hers. She was stiff, too surprised to respond, but neither of them could ignore the explosion of fire when their lips touched. The confliction of feelings in her head made her dizzy, and she flitted between pleasure and doubt too much to make sense of the situation. How was she supposed to respond?

When Sasuke felt her relax beneath his touch, he pressed into her harder, eliciting a small gasp from her. He took this as an opportunity to glide his tongue passed her lips and explore her mouth thoroughly. The kiss was deep and involved, and the Uchiha cupped her face in his hands and tilted her head upward to gain better access.

Her fists, which had been tightly clenching his shirt, hesitantly traveled upward to toy with the strands of hair at the base of his neck. They were pressed flush against eachother, and the heat in the room was unbearable. The blood was pounding in Sasuke's head. It was like an extreme adrenaline rush, hot and fast through his veins and so wonderful.

He removed his lips from hers with some difficulty and shoved her collar aside to assault her neck with open mouthed kisses and soft bites. Her breath hitched, and she clung to him as his thumb traced the underside of her breast while he bit down softly on her skin. Soft tingles traipsed up and down her spine, and her shudder against his body made him groan softly.

She was surprised to hear that sound from his mouth, and smiled softly to herself. It was a beautiful sound in her ears. Slowly, she pressed her lips to his pulse point, feeling it spike beneath her tongue. With her body pressed so tightly against his, she could feel the hardness in his pants, and she dusted a faint pink.

Sasuke tugged on her gown, and she raised her eyes to his, nodding to the question that hung there. The flimsy garment of clothing was softly pulled over her head, and her cheeks burned fiercely. She was standing before in nothing but her bra and underwear, offering herself to him, yet she was still unsure. There was an opportunity to be with him, even if only for a while, and she took it. There was still no guarantee that something special would happen after this. Once again, she was being a weak, foolish girl and giving her heart up for more pain.

Sasuke could see the uncertainty in her eyes, and kissed her softly, trying to explain exactly what this was. By the way she sighed gently, he was guessing that she had some sort idea what he was feeling. His soft kiss turned into a heated one as he let his hands slide down her body and grip her firmed bottom to lift her up onto the window sill she had previously been occupying, causing her to squeak and him to smirk.

When her back touched the window, it arched against the unexpected coolness, shooting ice cold jolts throughout her body. But nothing could lessen the heat culminating in her stomach and spreading to her limbs. Sasuke raised his eyebrows. That was definitely a position he liked.

He nuzzled his face in the crook of her neck, and she danced her fingers down the column of his back, making him shudder slightly at her feather light touches. Her eyes widened when he easily slipped off her bra and cupped a soft breast in his large palm. She gasped, her body not used to such pleasurable things. His thumb rolled over her hardened peak, and the heat in her stomach began to intensify.

Sasuke was having a hard time trying not to completely ravage her right there. Each moan and sigh was driving him wild, and his erection was becoming quite painful. But he wanted Sakura to feel everything that she could, and he wanted to give it to her.

His mouth took the place of his hand, and Sakura moaned loudly at the hotness of his mouth on her. She flushed a deep red, and covered her mouth with her hand. The hospital walls weren't made of paper, but they weren't made of the thickest concrete either. She could feel him smirk against her skin, and then he pulled at her nipple gently with his teeth, causing her to arch and moan again.

Her skin was sweet, like the rest of her. And he was already hooked. While he continued his ministrations on the opposite breast, she tugged on his shirt, and he pulled back to let her pull it over his head. Kami, he was so perfectly sculpted.

He was lean and flat with perfectly chiseled abs and wonderfully strong shoulders. Though quite naïve and inexperienced in the art of sex, she went with her feelings and gut on what to do, and that was to start kissing her way up his chest.

The soft swell of her lips on his burning skin sent a chill down his spine, and he wove his fingers into her hair as she slowly began to stand up from the sill. Her tongue dragged along his torso until he pulled her face up to meet his. He pushed her back against the wall and groaned at the feel of her breasts pressed so tightly against his bare chest. The kiss was hotter and wilder, their tongues dancing more sensually and roughly. She unconsciously rolled her hips against his, and he pulled back to gasp at the bolt of fire that struck him.

His forehead rested against hers, and she smiled teasingly as she ground against his erection again. It was painfully pleasurable, and he bit his lip and glared at her halfheartedly beneath his bangs. His eyes were so dark and full of lust that Sakura bit down the moan when the tension in her stomach tightened again. She could believe how just one look could make her feel this way.

Sasuke, too, was thinking the same thing. Her eyes were a shade darker and luminous with desire. It made her look so scandalous and alluring. He eagerly kissed her again, making sure their lips remained locked together as he wrapped her legs around his waist and carried her over to the hospital bed. He wasted no time in laying her across it and climbing on top of her.

Seeing her beneath him, hair splayed out across the pillow and hooded emerald eyes gazing at him expectantly, he was suddenly filled with urgency and mad desire. He hooked his thumbs into her underwear and made one last glance to her face before sliding them down her long, creamy legs. Her face burned fiercely, and a lump of embarrassment formed at the base of her throat. His lust crazed gaze didn't help any. He was just outright staring.

Somehow, a gasp slipped passed the lump when he pressed the heel of his palm against her sex. Long spikes of pleasure shot from her center, and she was gasping for breath when he slowly fingered her folds before slipping one digit in. He smirked in his mind at her tightness and moved the digit in and out of her core slowly.

Watching her writhe and moan beneath him was overwhelming to him, and his slow pumping was torturous to her. And he needed her so bad right now.

She watched in a daze as he pulled out his finger, much to her dismay, and discarded his pants. He positioned himself at her entrance, giving her one last look of question, to which she nodded to, and thrust in. He hissed at the wonderfully hot tightness gripping his member but stilled at her look of discomfort.

Of course, not only was she a virgin (a fact he was actually quite pleased with), but she was still sore from her previous mission. The tear she had felt was only a soft pain that she could easily deal with, but the burn of her tender stomach was rather painful. With her eyes clenched shut tightly, she heard him speak.

"Shit. Should we stop? I think we should stop."

The concern and slight panic in his voice brought tears to her eyes, and she opened them to stare blurrily at him. He began to pull out, but she stopped him with a hand on his bicep.

"No," she replied thickly. "I'll be fine. Just keep going."

He opened his mouth to object. "Sakura, I-"

"Move, you idiot," she replied light heartedly, bucking up into him and receiving a soft hiss in return.

His mind was hazy and unfocused with pleasure, and with her sex clamped around him like a vice it was hard to deny her request. So, with a somewhat doubtful look in her direction, he pulled out slightly and drove back in.

The pain still hovered, but when he drove into her a third time a shock of pleasure overrode it and persuaded a rather loud moan from her lips. It was like an out of body experience for both of them. The pleasure was mind blowing, every hard thrust building up the tension in their stomachs yet releasing a part of them they had been holding back.

Lost in this amazing world of euphoria, Sasuke felt all those pent up emotions boil over. He was so damn angry at himself, so disgusted with his actions and stupidity. When he thought she was gone forever, he refused to mourn, refused to let himself fall to pieces and disrupt his daily routine like Kakashi and Naruto had done. But truthfully, he had been angry all the time. Angry at Sakura. Angry at Tsunade. And profusely angry at himself.

All those emotions were suddenly being released with every plunge, and he could feel each layer of emotion starting to fall away. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he could hear her cry out, and he wondered vaguely if it was from pain or pleasure. But he didn't stop.

The rosette could feel his frustration, his sorrow, in his movements. She could hear them in his grunts and sighs. And she could see it in his face and knew that it was all there in his eyes, even though they were closed.

Pleasure and pain mingled together in her body so wonderfully, and she cried out when a particularly hard thrust brought stars to her eyes. She arched her back, panting loudly and sobbing at how close she was to a release. The delightful sensations rolled and pitched in their stomachs like a storm, and neither of them knew they would hold out for much longer.

That's when Sakura felt her reach her peak, wave after intense wave of world shattering pleasure crash down on her body like multiple tsunamis. Sasuke heard her gasp his name as a sign of her oncoming release and saw her face contort into a silent scream. Bright colors flashed behind his eyelids as he came to his release too, and he collapsed on top of her, physically and emotionally spent.

"I'm sorry," he gasped into her neck. "Kami, I'm so sorry."

She knew he was apologizing for everything, for tonight and for all those years, for his idiocy and his cruelty. And she accepted it. Somewhere in the further most contours of her mind, she knew she was stupid and weak for letting him in so easily, but she didn't care. She was going to take what she could when she could, when it was still available. And if he wanted to break her heart again, she would mend it on her own. But she knew that this was different, and he wouldn't. There was no fear in her.

Thin arms wrapped around his broad shoulders, pressing his face into her chest as she buried her face in his hair. Tears dropped into the ebony strands, and she sighed happily.

"I know," she said softly.

Sasuke realized how comforting her presence was, how at unusually at ease he felt around her. They continued to lay there in silence, recovering from their pleasures and soaking in the other. Sasuke lazily dragged his thumb in circles across her back, and she stroked his hair softly. It seemed so natural now, so right.

"Oh damn," she said suddenly, bolting upright and startling her lover.

"What?" he questioned, wondering if something was wrong.

She dropped her head into her hands. "We just had sex in a hospital. Where there are people in about every room around us. Tsunade is going to kill me."

Sasuke chuckled softly at the girl's panic and collapsed back onto the pillow, eyeing her bare back appreciatively and the pink hair resting upon it. He never thought he would have ended up liking pink so much. It was a rather odd color for hair, but he couldn't imagine her with anything else.

"You know you can't stay here all night," she continued. "What if Tsunade walks in here in the morning? Oh she's going to be furious. What if she walks in right now? And I don't even want to think about what Naruto and Kakashi will do…"

Sasuke walked his fingers up her spine, smirking at her soft shudder, and wrapped them around her neck gently to pull her down beside him. With her back pressed against his chest and his arms encasing her, she stopped her ranting.

"Just relax," he said huskily, his breath tickling her ear. "Worry when it's time to worry. I'll go when you fall asleep."

She didn't really want to argue. He was so warm and so right. So they lay there, her trying to keep her eyes open as long as possible to keep him there with her and he holding her possessively to him.

And their hearts beat together.

**A/N: Damn, I'm surprised that I actually updated so soon. Haha. I wasn't sure if I should end it here or put in another chapter so it's listed under work in progress for now. Well, hope you liked it!**


	6. Chapter 6

He lied. He said that he would leave once she had fallen asleep, but he didn't.

Hours had passed since pale eyelids drooped closed over startling green eyes, but he was still there. After carefully slipping his arms from around her, he clothed himself and leant against the windowsill, crossing his arms over his chest in his familiar fashion. And he watched.

It was interesting to watch her sleep because her facial expression didn't change. Usually, when he had to watch someone sleeping, their faces contorted into any emotion that briefly passed through them during their dream state. But the small smile remained captured on her face, the corners of pink lips turned slightly upward at the same angle for hours. Facial muscles were relaxed and free of any anxieties and pains she might have felt in the real world. He liked her better that way.

As soon as he thought that, he paused. This was wrong; he shouldn't have done that. He shouldn't have let her in so easily. But he had been vulnerable, dare he say it. All those pent up emotions had built up and exploded within him, preventing him from thinking straight and acting rationally. Maybe he had been overworking himself with training and such, and he had been too tired to continue the fight because there was no way he would ever have done that with her if had been completely coherent.

Uchiha's didn't show vulnerability, ever. He had made this mistake. And he wouldn't be making it again.

XXXXXXXXXX

Sakura was sure that the "morning after" feeling wasn't supposed to be the one she was feeling right now.

As soon as she was woken by the clap of thunder from outside, that warm happiness didn't invade her body like she'd heard countless times from Ino, and the ecstatic smile didn't drift onto her face as Tenten had put it. Instead, all she felt was the cold nakedness of her body beneath the sheet and the burning soreness of her body.

And though last night had been magical and breathtaking to her, now she felt cold and empty. It was the fear coming back full force. She supposed it would never go away. So many years of heartbreak had taught her well after all. It was only a habit to expect the worst.

Yet, that hope, as it always did, still burned inside her. This time she had proof that he felt something. She had felt it in every one of his caresses, in the way her name had so softly fallen from his lips. Would he deny it?

Sakura suddenly felt her heart beat accelerate and thud painfully. He wouldn't do that would he? She absolutely knew last night was emotionally genuine for them, and every action was made because it felt right. Otherwise, they wouldn't have done it. He wouldn't have done it. But Sasuke was completely unpredictable and complicated, and she wasn't sure what his next move would be.

She suddenly remembered where she was and realized her state of undress and scrambled out of the bed to put her clothes on. She was lucky enough that no one had walked in yet. Wincing with each step, she made her way slowly over to the adjoining bathroom and blinked in the harsh glare of the light before blinking at her own reflection.

Pink strands of hair jutted out in several odd angles and was, to put it simply, a complete mess. Her lips were still slightly red and swollen, and she could see dark bruise like blemishes glancing out from beneath the collar of her hospital gown. She blanched. How in Kami's name was she going to hide those? Roughly yanking her fingers through her hair, she managed to tame it slightly and reduce the amount of knots so it could lie flat over her shoulders and hide the marks.

Her fingers traced lightly over her lips, and a sudden bubble of warmth swelled in her stomach as memories of last night flooded her mind. Sasuke had been so warm, so unbelievably inviting. His very presence was powerful and darkly enticing, and she loved it. The smile ghosted across her face, and she now felt what Ino had been trying so hard to explain.

However, there was a tang of bitterness in her mouth and a soft ache in her chest that she was sure weren't supposed to accompany the expansion of bliss in her lower abdomen. Then again, she wasn't supposed to have a happy ending.

"Hello? Sakura?"

Naruto's voice carried to the bathroom, and Sakura quickly readjusted her hair before stepping out. The concerned look on the blonde's face quickly vanished when he saw his friend emerge with a smile on her face.

"Hey," she greeted, hobbling across the floor.

Naruto moved forward, swept her into his arms, and placed the laughing girl onto the bed.

"You weren't that bad yesterday," he stated, noticing how she was wincing much more and how weary she looked.

Sakura fidgeted slightly, not going unnoticed beneath Naruto's watchful eye, and toyed aimlessly with the thin hospital blanket as the smile wavered on her face.

"Oh, well, I guess I moved too much yesterday," she said, trying to keep a casual façade. "I mean, I did get out of bed and walk around the hospital and stuff."

The young man's brow furrowed softly. She was such a horrible liar. Or maybe he had always just been able to tell. He moved his eyes over her face, noticing the slight swelling of her lips and the tired droop of her eyes. Slightly uncomfortable beneath his intent gaze, she shifted and he gasped.

"What is that!" he yelled out, grabbing hold of her collar and yanking it down to reveal the three red marks blotting her collar bone.

They were too dark and large to belong on her ivory skin, and Naruto felt anger bubbling within him. He snapped up into a standing position, intending to unleash his wrath on whoever put them there. Of course, he had to find out who it was first.

Sakura jumped slightly, surprised by the anger in his eyes, and quickly jerked her gown up to cover her exposed shoulder.

"How the hell did you get that?" he seethed, and Sakura swallowed thickly, unsure where his anger was directed at the moment.

"I…me and Sasuke… I mean-" she began and was cut off when Naruto cried out in disbelief.

"Sasuke!" The cerulean eyed male blinked several times before Sakura wrapped her fingers firmly around his wrist, locking him in place.

Her eyes were pleading and her expression scared. "Please," she said softly. "Don't say anything about it to him. I don't know….I don't think he really meant anything serious by it."

Naruto's eyes softened at the saddened look adorning her face, and he took a spot next to her. Tenderly, he brushed back loose wisps of hair and tucked them behind her ear.

"Sasuke never acts without a reason," Naruto stated. "You know that."

Sakura sniffled and blinked back her tears. "I know, but sometimes people act on impulse. And if he wants to turn his back on this and walk away then I'll have to pretend that it was nothing too. What else can I do?" Her voice broke slightly, and she swallowed.

Naruto pulled her into his arms, and she collapsed gratefully against his chest, nuzzling her face in the familiar warmth of his shirt.

"I think it's deeper than that," he said gently. "I think you do too."

"I think I love him so much that I'll believe anything at the moment," she responded.

Naruto rested his chin atop her head and struggled to find some sort of comment to lighten the mood. Sakura could feel him smiling and pulled back to study his face with narrowed eyes.

"At least I know why you're so sore today," he joked, his eyes sparkling with a grin.

"You idiot," she gasped, hitting him on the chest before breaking out into laughter.

And she wondered how long it would last.

XXXXXXXXXX

He could hear everything from inside the room. Leaning stiffly against the wall by the door, the Uchiha never strayed as he heard things that made his heart pound and his breathing become more ragged.

"_And if he wants to turn his back on this and walk away then I'll have to pretend that it was nothing too."_

Was it nothing? Was the fire that seared his skin every time she touched him nothing? Was that magnetism that unconsciously pulled him toward her nothing? Kami, he didn't know anymore.

He didn't even know why he was here in the first place. All he wanted to do was talk about it, clear up everything and make her understand that what they did was wrong and shouldn't be done again. But as soon as he had approached the door, he felt nervous and unsure and was about to turn and walk straight back home, but the voices of his friends stopped him. He was interested in what they had to say.

"_I think it's deeper than that. I think you do too."_

It almost felt like Naruto was talking directly to him, every word striking deep in his mind and sticking. Nothing about the way he and Sakura interacted was deep. Except the announcement about her mission. Even if he hated to admit it, shock and grief had struck him so deeply that he couldn't even train without thinking that he could be using his current move to help her, to protect her.

And that one night he'd found himself walking her home after she'd spent up all her chakra at an intensely busy day at the hospital. She'd still found the energy to talk to him, though he wasn't very responsive, but he had listened. She'd still found the energy to smile, though he didn't return it, but he had been looking. And he had found himself strangely attached to her in those few minutes, where her smile was unusually bright in the dark backdrop of the night and her aura was curiously warm in the cool air.

Even when they simply sat down for dinner and she smiled across the table at him, he felt it, that magnetic pull. How could he have been that blind?

"_I think I love him so much that I'll believe anything at the moment."_

Her proclamations of love weren't anything unusual to his ears, but this one stopped his heart beat all together. He could hear the underlying tones of pain and sadness and sincerity all woven together in a single beautiful song, and he could honestly say he enjoyed listening to it.

She would believe anything, and he had spoken the truth in his apology. He was sorry for everything, so sorry it almost physically hurt not to get the extent of it across to her. So why did she sound so unconvinced, so sad?

It must have been a full hour that he stood outside the door, flickering from wanting her to wanting to push her away. It made his head hurt and spin, all this indecision and emotion. The turmoil his feelings were causing was overpowering, and he wanted nothing more to destroy it.

He reopened his eyes when he heard the door open and footsteps halt near him. Naruto froze at the sight of his friend, eyes depicting no emotion for a few seconds before turning hard. With his lips pursed, he managed to tell the Uchiha with a simple expression everything he needed to know.

And Sasuke didn't need any more time to think.

XXXXXXXXXX

Sakura felt him before she heard him. The dark yet intriguing aura filled the room like smoke, suffocating her. Neither of them moved.

Sasuke licked his dry lips and swallowed the lump in his throat. Why was this so much harder than it should be?

"I just," he began, causing Sakura to shiver at the sexy deepness of his voice. "I just wanted to tell you that this is going to be hard, probably a lot harder than most other relationships out there."

Sakura's stomach flipped violently, and a choked sob was caught in her mouth.

"And it'll probably take some getting used to, but since you seem pretty willing, I don't think it will be a problem for you."

Two tears escaped the confines of her eyes, and a soft tingling spread through her bones.

"And I may not be able to say everything you want to hear, but there are other ways…."

Sakura, who felt the bubble of bliss suddenly burst within her and flood the rest of her body, turned and gave him a watery smile that stopped him right in his tracks. The glimmer in her eyes was amazingly vibrant, and the smile gracing her face was the most beautiful he'd seen yet, and he could no longer think.

"And Kami, you're all I think about at night," he finished breathlessly, striding around the bed to tower over her.

His face was so softer than she'd ever seen it before, and she stood fearlessly to press her lips to his. It was slow and deep, and the warmth raged through them like an inferno that would burn forever.

And they realized that this was real, that all the things they were feeling were the purest things the world had to offer, and they would happily accept it.

**A/N: Omg! It's finally over! Lol. I've been wanting to work on other things, but I wanted to get this out of the way first. I've had such a great time writing for all of you guys, and I hope you liked it. This was for all of you!**


End file.
